Tag Archives: Google Sheets

Share files more easily with non-Google accounts in Drive Beta

Soon, people without Google accounts will be able to view, comment, suggest edits to, and directly edit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files.

Organizations often work on documents with external vendors, partners, contractors, and customers. When these partners don't have Google accounts, it is a significant barrier for collaboration.

We are introducing a beta for an easy pincode identity verification process that will enable G Suite users to invite non-G Suite users to collaborate on files as visitors, using PINs (Personal Identification Numbers). Below is an example of how it works:



File owners and admins are in full control of sharing 

File owners can view all the detailed activity on their files and see where it originated, and revoke access from the Drive sharing dialog at any time. Admins can manage all external sharing and audit usage. For more information on sharing settings, check out this Help Center article.

Apply to join Pincode Sharing in Drive Beta 

Pincode Sharing in Drive is launching initially in beta. If you're an admin, see more details, review the eligibility requirements, and apply to join the beta.

Launch Details 
Editions: 
Beta is available to all G Suite editions

Impact: 
Admins and end users

Action: 
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Set Drive users' sharing permission
Join the beta

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Now your Activity Dashboard is one click away in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings

We’ve made it easier for you to open the Activity dashboard directly from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings. You’ll now see the Activity dashboard icon (a jagged arrow pointing upward) next to the comments button in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Clicking on the icon opens the dashboard, where you can analyze time statistics and adjust privacy and document settings. This gives you instant access to the Activity dashboard information you’re seeking. Hovering over the icon enables you to view the information others can see about you in the Activity dashboard. To learn more about seeing the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files, consult the Help Center.

Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in 2 weeks

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact:All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: See the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets & Slides

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New interface for Activity dashboard in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

We’re updating the interface of Activity dashboard in the Google Docs editors. The options and settings available won’t change, but we hope the new interface makes it easier to find data and collaborate more effectively.

See the new Activity dashboard UI 
“View time” in the new Activity dashboard interface

“Viewer trend” in the new Activity dashboard interface


A comparison of the old and new Activity dashboard interfaces 

See our Help Center for more information on how to see the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions 

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: See the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets & Slides 
G Suite Updates blog: Improve collaboration in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with Activity dashboard


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Google Sheets Salesforce add-on moving from beta to GA

As we recently announced, we’re making our add-on for Google Sheets to connect with Salesforce generally available. You can use it to import data and reports from Salesforce into Sheets and to push updates you make in Sheets back to Salesforce. This seamless integration will help optimize workflows and reduce duplicate work between the two products.

See our beta launch announcement for more details on the add-on and how you might use it. We hope it will help you operate more efficiently.



Get and use the Salesforce add-on for Google Sheets

As a G Suite admin you can control access to this add-on the same way you can any other Sheets add-on.

See our Help Center for more details on how to import, edit and sync Salesforce data with Google Sheets.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins and end users

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More information
G Suite Marketplace: Data Connector for Salesforce add-on
Admin Help Center: Install Marketplace apps
Admin Help Center: Control user installation of Marketplace apps
Admin Help Center: Turn a Marketplace app on or off for users
User Help Center: Use add-ons & Apps Script
User Help Center: Import, edit & sync Salesforce data with Google Sheets


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Use quick-access side panel to do more from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, and more

We’re adding a quick-access side panel to the Docs editors and Google Calendar to help you quickly access other G Suite products without leaving what you’re working on. A similar side panel has been a popular feature of the new Gmail, and we hope that this integration will help you work more efficiently within and across G Suite.

You’ll be able to access three G Suite products from Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings:

  • Google Calendar: Quickly reference, create or edit invites. 
  • Google Keep: Easily take notes, create lists, and see your other content. 
  • Google Tasks: Manage your tasks and to-dos. 
You’ll also see the side panel in Google Calendar, where you’ll be able to use Keep and Tasks.


Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks 

Editions: 
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Use Google products side-by-side 
The Keyword: With new security and intelligent features, the new Gmail means business


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Docs Activity dashboard now available to all G Suite users

We’re making the Activity dashboard feature available to all G Suite users. Previously this feature was not fully available to G Suite Basic customers.

Extending Activity dashboard to G Suite Basic edition 

All G Suite admins and users will now have full access to Activity dashboards and associated controls. Previously admins and users in Basic domains could choose whether their viewing data appeared in dashboards, but they could not see dashboards for their own files. Now that these users can view dashboards for their files, there are new options and controls:


  • New admin controls available now: Admins in G Suite Basic domains can decide whether their users can use Activity dashboard. This new Admin console setting will be available for two weeks before the feature becomes available for users. By default this will be turned on, meaning that users will be able to view Activity dashboards for files that belong to their domain and that they have “Edit” access to. 
  • Existing admin and user controls will not change: Any existing privacy controls will remain the same when the change is enabled. For example, if an admin or user in a Basic domain has previously chosen to prevent their viewing data from appearing in Activity dashboards, this setting will not change. 
  • User features roll out starting September 4th: Depending on the admin action taken, this change will begin to roll out to users in Rapid Release G Suite Basic domains on September 4th and Scheduled Release G Suite Basic domains on September 18th. 


G Suite Enterprise, Enterprise for Education, Business, Education, and Nonprofit domains already have access to the feature. Nothing is changing for admins or users in these domains.

To learn more about how to change these settings for your organization, see our original launch announcement for Activity dashboard and our Activity dashboard Help Center article for admins. 

Activity dashboard enables efficient and effective communication 

Activity dashboard gives users useful metrics about how people are interacting with their Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files. They can use this to collaborate more efficiently and effectively. Since the initial launch of the Activity dashboard, we’ve made the feature more useful and more actionable. Users can now:

  • Email collaborators through Activity dashboard. Use knowledge about view histories to pick recipients and send custom follow-up emails. 
  • See viewers over time. Keep track of how many viewers have visited your file over time, adjusting the data range and focusing in on specific data points for more details. 
Activity dashboard gives users useful metrics about their files

Launch Details 
Release track: 
- Admin console settings are available today to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains.
- User-facing feature will begin to roll out to Rapid Release domains on September 4th and Scheduled Release domains on September 18th.

Editions: 
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
- Admin settings: Available now.
- User-facing feature: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) 

Impact: 
Admins and end users

Action: 
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center (admins): Let users see who viewed files 
Help Center (users): See who has viewed Google Docs, Sheets & Slides


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Easily connect with Salesforce from Google Sheets

We’re publishing an add-on for Google Sheets to connect with Salesforce.

You can use it to import data and reports from Salesforce into Sheets, and to push updates you make in Sheets back to Salesforce. This seamless integration will help your users optimize workflows and reduce duplicate work between the two products.

For example, your Finance team could use the add-on to perform an in-depth forecast based on all current deals in the pipeline. The add-on would pull all data from the relevant Salesforce report into Sheets, where Finance team members could then use other powerful Sheets features, such as Explore, pivot tables, or macro recorder. Or the Sales team could use the add-on to import the details of their accounts from Salesforce and use Sheets to do a bulk update that pushes the changes back to Salesforce.


Get and use the Salesforce add-on for Google Sheets 

This add-on, made by Google Cloud, is currently in Beta. Add-ons are covered by Google Apps Script Additional Terms. To get the add on:


As a G Suite admin you can control access to this add-on the same way you can with any other Sheets add-on.


See our Help Center for more details on how to import, edit, and sync Salesforce data with Google Sheets.

More information 
G Suite Marketplace: Data Connector for Salesforce add-on
Admin Help Center: Install Marketplace apps
Admin Help Center: Control user installation of Marketplace apps
Admin Help Center: Turn a Marketplace app on or off for users
User Help Center: Use add-ons and Apps Script 
User Help Center: Import, edit and sync Salesforce data with Google Sheets


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New Google Sheets enterprise data integrations with BigQuery and SAP

We're introducing two new Google Sheets integrations to make it easier to analyze your data. We’re opening a Beta program for a data connector that dynamically connects Sheets with BigQuery. We’re also announcing the general availability of an integration with SAP ERP that enables teams to seamlessly pull their business data into Sheets.

We hope that these features will make powerful business data more accessible through Sheets’ familiar, intelligent, and collaborative interface. By freeing data from large databases that need analytical experts to query it or from specialized software that not everyone has access to, we can help you get more insight into your business and make better, data-driven decisions.

Easier and better big data collaboration with Sheets and BigQuery integration Beta 

BigQuery can provide powerful analysis of multiple data sets, but needs specialized skills and knowledge which can make collaborating on data difficult. Sheets provides familiar spreadsheet tools that can help whole teams collaborate and make better data-driven decisions.

Users in the Beta will be able to create a BigQuery query, get a preview, and insert the results into Sheets without leaving the Sheets interface. The data can then be refreshed from within the Sheets interface. Teams can use this to:
  • Streamline reporting and dashboard workflows. Have a single source of truth for big data insights without exports that can get out of date and cause errors. 
  • Democratize analysis. The Sheets interface can bring data to wider, less technical teams with a familiar spreadsheet interface and tools like “Explore” and macro recorder. 
  • Increase collaboration. Sheets makes it easy for teams to comment, discuss, and share insights as they analyze and use the data. 

For example, an analyst could set up a query that analyzes data from several datasets in BigQuery. The data from that would then be accessible in Sheets, where the business team could get the latest data, ask questions in plain English, and add comments ahead of finalizing their quarterly reports. What’s more, with parameterized queries, a single analyst could set up a query in Sheets so that dozens of different sales teams could get different results depending on their regional needs—all without requiring the salesperson to know any SQL.

Apply to join the Beta for the BigQuery and Sheets connectors

Sheets and BigQuery users can apply to join the Beta program for this feature. Admins can see more details, review the eligibility requirements, and apply for their domains to join at gsuite.google.com/bq-sheets.


Discover additional insights from SAP ERP with new integration 

The integration between Sheets and SAP that we announced in June has now launched. You can now export data directly from SAP GUI and SAP ECC 6.0 to Sheets and analyze that data with tools like charts, pivot tables, and Explore. With this new integration, you can skip manually exporting data to CSVs and uploading them to Drive. This can help you:
  • Use the Sheets “Explore” feature to find new insights from data in SAP. 
  • Easily analyze and create data visualizations. 
  • Collaborate with a single source of truth. 

Find out more about how to integrate Sheets and SAP.


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Bring teams together with new G Suite integrations

(Cross-posted from The Keyword)



The average employee uses 36 cloud services at work to collaborate or share files. That’s more apps than hours in a day! With so many apps and services, it’s important that your business chooses modern, open tools that make it easy to work with anyone—be it inside or outside of your organization.

We want to reduce complexity for your teams, which is why we’ve built integrations in G Suite like third-party add-ons in Gmail and Google Docs and better interoperability with Microsoft. Today, we’re announcing new integrations in Hangouts Meet and Calendar to help you have even better meeting experiences regardless of the conference technology you use. We’re also bringing you new ways to collaborate in Hangouts Chat and Sheets.

Collaborate easily with new compatibility in Hangouts Meet

Nothing’s more frustrating than hosting a meeting and having trouble getting people to join because of issues with technology—it can interrupt workflows and slow down productivity. We want to make it easier for businesses to use meeting solutions, like Hangouts Meet, without worrying about compatibility with existing equipment. This is why we’re making Meet compatible with traditional video conferencing systems, like Polycom and Cisco. In partnership with Pexip, teams will be able to join a meeting on Meet from their preferred equipment in the coming weeks. We’re also making it possible for Microsoft Skype for Business users to easily join a meeting on Meet directly from their Skype app.

Spotify has benefited from using Hangouts Meet to collaborate both internally and externally. Says Martin Antonsson, AV Infrastructure Engineer at Spotify, “Interoperability between Hangouts Meet and other video conferencing systems is fundamental to enabling collaboration. Now we can focus on having productive meetings instead of worrying about the technology.”

 Build add-ons in Google Calendar, join meetings in a cinch

A big part of having productive meetings is making sure that the right folks are able to join them. That’s why we’re announcing support for third-party conferencing natively in Google Calendar. Soon conference providers can easily build add-ons to create, view and join a video conference directly from a Calendar event. Users can simply click a link in the Calendar invite to join on web or mobile.



Cisco Webex is building an add-on to help users easily schedule meetings right from Google Calendar without requiring a download or plug-in. Arkadin, GoToMeeting, LogMeIn, Dialpad, RingCentral, Vidyo and Vonage are also building add-ons to help them more easily meet with their customers. These third-party conferencing add-ons will be available in the G Suite Marketplace in the coming months with details to come for developers.

You might have seen that we made it easier to view schedule availability across Google Calendar and Microsoft Exchange last year. Building on this, we’re also announcing a way for you to book resources like rooms, equipment and more in Microsoft Exchange. If you use G Suite, you’ll be able to easily view and book resources stored in Exchange and Office 365 in the coming months.

Work with teams outside of your domain in Hangouts Chat

After you get the right people in the room with the right setup, it’s important to be able to share information in real time during your meetings—even with folks who may not be in your company. In the coming months, you’ll be able to include people from outside of your organization in Chat, making it easy to stay aligned with clients, vendors, partners and others, all from one place.

Resuelve—a consumer debt management business based in Mexico—uses guest access in Chat to connect with people outside of their organization, particularly as they look to grow their presence in additional regions. "Hangouts Chat has been crucial to our company's ability to expand into other markets,” says Jordi Adame, Chief Technology Officer of Resuelve. “It’s helped our internal teams be productive and we're looking forward to connecting with people outside of our organization in a similarly efficient way.”

New SAP integrations with Google Sheets

Companies often have critical business data in their SAP systems. In an upcoming SAP release, employees will be able to discover additional insights from their ERP content by importing it directly into Google Sheets. With this new integration, you can skip manually exporting data to CSVs and uploading them to Drive. Instead, export directly to Sheets and analyze data with tools like intelligent pivot tables. You can also skip tedious formatting by recording macros in Sheets, making it easier to streamline business processes and share information across teams right away.



Looking ahead

In the coming months, you’ll be able to join conferences on Hangouts Meet from your existing meeting room hardware, book rooms from Microsoft Exchange in Google Calendar and collaborate with folks outside of your domain in Hangouts Chat. You’ll also start to see integrations with Google Sheets in an upcoming SAP release, too.

Learn more about how your business’ technology can co-exist with G Suite. Visit the Next ‘18 website to register.

New insights in Google Docs Activity dashboard

We’re introducing new features to provide more insight and help you collaborate through Activity dashboard in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This will help make the data in Activity dashboard:

  • More actionable. Users can quickly email file collaborators. 
  • More useful. Users can see viewing patterns over time. 


Email collaborators through Activity dashboard 

In just a few clicks, users can pick recipients, customize, and send a follow-up email with the link to the file. Users can:

  • Select who to email. There are shortcuts for collaborators who have viewed the file or have not viewed the file, or you can pick recipients manually with checkboxes (see image below for example). 
  • Customize an email. Users can write a message to chosen recipients. 
  • Send the email. 

See our Help Center for detailed instructions on how to send emails through Activity dashboard. 




See viewing patterns over time 

A popular request from our users is to have more insight into patterns around viewing data on files. So we’re adding a chart showing how many viewers have visited the file over time. You can adjust the date range, and hover over specific data points for more details.



Use our Help Center to find out more about how to understand the data in Activity dashboard.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks

Editions:
Available on G Suite Business, Enterprise, Education, and Nonprofit editions

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information





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